The present invention relates to a teatcup having a teat inlet end and a milk discharge end. A liner, which is insertable within the teatcup and supported by same, has a teat inlet opening at the teatcup""s inlet end. The teatcup may be used for quarter milking, preferably in connection with an automatic milking system. The teatcup is adapted to be individually connected to a teat of the udder by a milking robot of such automatic milking system.
In EP-0 385 539 there is described a milking plant comprising teatcups. Each teatcup has a separate line for conveying the milk obtained from the respective udder quarter teat to a milk measuring device which includes four milk meters. The teatcup comprises a metal sleeve enclosing an inner rubber wall. A rubber cap seals the space between the sleeve and inner wall at the teatcup""s upper end. In the lower part of the teatcup there is provided a buffer space. At the bottom of this buffer space there is connected a milk discharge line. Furthermore, the buffer space contains a fixed element adapted to ensure a gradually flow of milk into the buffer space. At the upper end of said element there is provided a sensor for performing a temperature measurement.
To sum up, this prior art teatcup constitutes a rather complicated construction having a considerable axial length which, together with the fact that the milk discharge line leaves the teatcup at a point very close to the bottom end thereof, implies that the connection and disconnection of the teatcup to/from the teat will require a considerable space in the region below the udder and teats of the animal being milked. This makes the possibilities of using such teatcup construction rather limited, especially in connection with automatic milking using a milking robot.
The primary object of the invention is to provide a teatcup which is so designed that it can be usedxe2x80x94without encountering space problemsxe2x80x94for milking an animal having an udder which hangs down deeply, so that the teats thereof are at a low height above the floor-surface on which the animal is standing. In this connection it should be remembered that not only the teatcup itself, but also the flexible tubing connected thereto, will require a certain free vertical space between the udder/teats and the floor-surface to guarantee that the teatcup and its tubing will not touch said floor-surface when the teatcup is being connected to, or disconnected from, a teat.
Another object of the invention is to provide a teatcup designed to avoid the emergence of FFA-related milk flow problems, especially in connection with quarter milking.
Furthermore, the invention seeks to provide a straightforward teatcup construction which is reliable to use and impedes vacuum fluctuations, is durable, is inexpensive to manufacture, has a low weight, and can be made as a unitary component.
According to the present invention the above-mentioned objects are obtained by a teatcup of the type defined above and characterized by a milk chamber within the milk discharge end of the teatcup, a milk discharge tube extending sideways through a side wall portion of the chamber and being adapted for discharging milk from the chamber via a suction tube means arranged in the chamber and having a milk inlet opening adjacent to a bottom surface in the chamber.
Hereby is achieved that the teatcup can be used for quarter milking where a conventional cluster (comprising a milk claw and four teatcup-liners directly attached thereto) is not used, for which reason each teatcup must have its own milk chamber for temporary storage of the milk from the liner""s milk discharge end. Furthermore, by having a sideways extending milk discharge tube, which is arranged at some axial distance from the bottom end of the milk chamber, it is possible to avoid contact between the milk hose or piping attached to the milk discharge end of said tube, and the floor-surface below the teatcup""s bottom end.
Within the milk chamber and in the region of the milk inlet opening of the suction tube means there is preferably arranged a smooth milk flow generator.
This flow generator may suitably comprise a central flow direction control protrusion or formation, preferably in the form of a convex or conical boss, on the bottom surface in the milk chamber, which protrusion/formation is situated opposite to the inlet opening of the suction tube means.
Thanks to this milk flow generator, FFA-related milk flow problems can be effectively avoided (FFA=Free Fatty Acids).
To allow pressure variations to be impeded, the milk chamber within the milk discharge end of the teatcup preferably should have an extra volume of about 80 ml or more.
The milk discharge tube suitably extends transversely to the side wall of the teatcup, and a milk chamber end of said tube is attached to a milk outlet portion of the suction tube means.
Since said outlet portion of the suction tube means will be situated at a certain distance above the bottom of the milk chamber, the milk discharge tube will also be located at a certain distance above the teatcup""s bottom end, and this helps to keep the milk hose or piping, extending from the tube, away from contact with the underlying floor-surface.
Preferably, the suction tube means is a bell-shaped member, the circumferential free edge portion of which defines the milk inlet opening thereof, and the interior of the bell-shaped member communicates with the interior of the milk discharge tube, the open milk chamber inlet end of which is situated within the milk outlet portion of the bell-shaped member.
Hereby is achieved that a smooth milk flow is secured within the milk chamber, from the bottom region thereof into the milk discharge tube.
In order to further ensure a controlled milk flow from the bottom region of the chamber to the interior of the suction tube means, the suction tube means is preferably provided at the inlet opening thereof with protrusions extending towards the milk chamber bottom surface and being positioned circumferentially to the central flow direction control protrusion.
From a manufacturing point of view the teatcup suitably comprises a milk discharge housing containing the milk chamber and being disengageably connected with the milk discharge end of the teatcup.
The milk discharge housing preferably is a can-shaped receptacle being coaxial with the teatcup center line and having a cylindrical side wall attached to the outside of the teatcup.
Generally, the teatcup may suitably comprise a cylindrical shell having a first end and a second end, and the liner, which is insertable within and supported by the shell, may then have its teat inlet opening end connected to the shell""s first end, and a milk discharge end comnunicating with the shell""s second end, or alternatively attached or connected to said second end.
The milk chamber may be housed within a milk discharge housing, which is disengageably connected with the shell""s second end, or which constitutes an integral part of the shell at the second end thereof.
According to the present invention, in another embodiment thereof, the suction tube means and the milk discharge tube constitute consecutive sections or portions of one and the same milk discharge tube unit extending from the region of the milk chamber bottom surface through the chamber side wall to the outside thereof.
With this embodiment it is achieved that the manufacture of the teatcup will be simple thanks to the uncomplicated design of its major parts, and furthermore the cleaning of the teatcup will be easy to accomplish.
Preferably, the milk discharge tube unit shows a smoothly curved configuration between the milk inlet opening end and the outlet end thereof. Thereby FFA-related problems are avoided.
Suitably, the milk discharge housing comprises an intermediate, ring-shaped adapter means connected with the milk discharge end of the teatcup, and a can-shaped receptacle connected with the adapter means and being disengageably attached to the outside of the teatcup, and the milk discharge tube unit extends through a side wall portion of said adapter means.
To simplify the assembling and disassembling of the teatcup, it is preferable that the can-shaped receptacle is attachable to the teatcup by means of a manually controllable locking means co-operating on one hand with engagement means on the outside of a wall portion of the receptacle, and on the other hand with engagement means on the outside of the teatcup.